QuickPlan for macOS 2.0

What’s new

QuickPlan is being enhanced continuously!

This new version continues to improve the project maintenance efficiency, and delivers some new features include additional PDF exporting options, Critical Path, Project exporting by specific date range, Search and Replace, and etc.

Welcome window

Today Widget

PDF Exporting Enhancements for better printing

Export project by specified date range

Export visible tasks when in LIST display style to new project

Critical Path with a nice design

Search and Replace

New Gantt Chart display options

Task link maintenance enhancement

Gesture improved

Task notes multiple line input enhancement

Welcome window

Welcome window acts as the app entrance to list recent projects, today task list, to open existing project files and get the news about QuickPlan app. Also welcome window is the replacement of the menubar icon and related functionalities of the old versions (so menubar icon and related functionalities deprecated)

“Today” redesign

Redesign “Today” to list current tasks as list in Welcome Window and macOS system notification center (as a Today Widget)

To enable QuickPlan Today Widget

Click Notification Center icon in the menu bar, or swipe left with two fingers from the right edge of the trackpad

Then in Notification Center, click Today

Click Edit at bottom of Today view, and to add QuickPlan widget

And more about Today Widget

Click project name to open the project in QuickPlan app (no response if clicking on task name)

QuickPlan app and QuickPlan today widget are in different app sandboxes.

Setting projects in app preferences.

As Sandbox limitation, only the project files SELECTED by the user (via file open panel) can be accessed by the app, and if the project files be changed outside the control of QuickPlan app, the access permission will lost, today widget will not be able to access the files. So don’t specify project files in iCloud folder into today project list (as the files in iCloud folder may be changed on other devices).

PDF exporting enhancements for better printing

Printing is a challenge to the users when the NATURE of the project size is large (for example, long duration and many tasks), there is no way for the app (even for a human sometimes) to export the project content CLEARLY in one specific PDF page. And the situation may be even complicated as the DPI of the printers are different, sometimes, zoom to print in one paper, the result may be not clear enough if the print DPI is not that enough.

QuickPlan 2.0 provides two different options for the users to adjust the output for the specific situation. One option to to change the output font size a little, another option is to control the task group background style.

And the output for different task group options

Export to a new project by specific date range

With option to clip the task (change the task date to be in the date range)

Skill: This feature is a good addition to PDF exporting if need to print the project by date range, we can export as a new project first, then to export as PDF file

Export visible tasks when in LIST display style to new project

After switched to LIST display style, the visible tasks (include tasks in child projects, no task group included) can be exported as a new project. Click the export button in the toolbar to continue.

Critical Path

A new display style to show tasks in critical path as red color, AUTOMATICALLY

Search and Replace

New Gantt Chart display options

Task bar title option to specify the title content, includes “task name”, “resource”, and “none” options.

Task group display styles, to specify if need to show the backgroud color of the task group (only QuickPlan does this way), or the tranditional task group display style (like other Gantt apps).

And the option to specify if need to show link arrow (in App Preference)

Better tips moving with mouse to guide how to link tasks. And there is option in App Preference to disable/enable this feature.

Gesture enhancements

No waiting time to select a task.
(When clicking on a task, as need to support double click and pan gestures, the macOS will wait about 0.3 second for raise the event – this slow action will impact our operation and sometimes a big trouble to us. QuickPlan for macOS 2.0 re-implement from the low level and the logic to deal with gestures, now the task will be selected soon after clicked on Gantt Chart)

“Command + Double Click” on child project task to open it
(“Command + Enter” is the only way to open a child project before version 2.0)

Changing task sequence on Gantt Chart (“command + mouse move up/down”), now the mouse can be at any place the task row

Double click on the timeline (at top of Gantt Chart panel) to:
・ Move today be visible if Today in the project period
・ Move the day of project start be visible if Today is NOT in the project period

Task notes multiple line input enhancement

Before 2.0, when editing task notes, we need insert a new line by inputing “option + enter” (the normal way). This is not the efficient way if need to input much. QuickPlan 2.o changed the task notes textbox behavior to get inputing be more confortable.